The Jade Hermit makes a beautiful and interesting organism in your aquarium. It has dark green legs with spotted claws. It prefers to live together and clings to rocks, therefore lot of rock work is required to be added in the tank. The Jade Hermit is considered as very good scavengers as they feed on detritus and waste build ups, especially on algae and Cyano Bacteria. By doing so, it not only clears up the surroundings but also, help aerate sand substrates thereby encouraging growth and activity of beneficial bacteria. The Jade Hermit is a voracious algae eater, and addition of algae sheets helps in maintaining their proper health growth. It undergoes a molting process where it sheds its exoskeleton in order to obtain a new one. Often the Jade Hermit leaves its shredded translucent shell which serves as a distraction while the crab finds a hiding place that allows the new shell to harden. Hermit crabs use the abandoned shell as their shelter. That is why the Jade Hermit might feed on existing snails as food and achieve the snail as a shelter. The Jade Hermit has the abdomen that they spiral up inside and exposes only the head and its claws. When it senses a predator, they coil up inside the shell and hide for protection. If the Jade Hermit is deficient of food, it can be fed with dried seaweeds, and should be kept in groups for larger aquariums. The Jade Hermit Crab is completely reef safe and is peaceful in nature, and it does not harass or harm any other inhabitants.
The Jade Hermit Crab has dark green legs and spotted claws. In the wild, these crabs live together in the hundreds clinging to rocks and each other, then search for food during low tides. They should be offered algae sheets on an every other day basis in order to help feed them. Most of their day is spent as scavengers and they do a tremendous job keeping aquariums clean of detritus and waste build-up. They are voracious algae eaters.Crabs belong to the Class Crustacea and Order Decapoda. Hermits and Porcelain Crabs belong to the Section Anomura, which consists of long antennae and three pair of walking legs. The head of the Crab is connected to the thorax and covered by a shell called carapace. They have a smaller abdomen and tail compared to Shrimp and they keep this tucked beneath the carapace. The first pair of their legs are usually developed claws which they use to gather food, use as protection, and to move objects. In order for Crabs to grow they need to shed their exoskeleton, a process called "molting", which allows them to remove their restricting shell and begin a new one. Often times in the home aquarium Crabs will leave this translucent shell in full view so it can serve as a distraction while the Crab finds a hiding place and allows its new shell to harden. Hermit Crabs use abandoned shells as their home. These Crabs usually have extended abdomens that they wrap around the inside of the spiraling shell leaving only their head and claws exposed. When approached these Crabs can recoil into the shell for protection. When a Hermit Crab grows it will often seek out a new larger shell.
